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By Scott Needham · October 8, 2025 · Curated by George's Blog
5 years since I started SmartScout.
Here are some growth stories.
The FIRST 75 people paid on the first day. While that may look like success, it was actually more than a year's work to get to that point. I created a podcast, flew to seller conferences, and posted on social media feverishly. 150 Webinar attendees. 75 paying customers.
The BEST growth we ever had was launching the seller map. It went viral. Over 100 sellers jumped on every hour. We went from an average of one new user a day to 5-10. It was product-led growth at its best. I haven't replicated it since. I've tried. Hell, even built another map tool!
The WORST growth effort is a tie between spending $25k at a booth at Shoptalk (too few leads!) or trying to sell a $3k deal to UPS. This is UPS we're talking about, and we spent actual months going through diligence just for $3k. That was the most expensive annual plan we had in 2021. Going through procurement took at least $3k worth of effort on our end.
The WEIRDEST growth story: label machine giveaway. In 2021, we had an extra label machine in our warehouse. I put this up as one of those "comment" and we'll ship it to you. The person who received it was stoked! Hopefully, it helped them sell more products! I look back and laugh at what I did when I had a bit more desperation.
Honorable Mention: Using the SmartScout Seller Map to go door to door in Utah. Door to Door sales is a rush. You have no idea what you're gonna get on the other side!
It's been a long and steady journey. Growth has been steady and consistent. Thank you to everyone who's joined!